Lake Waccamaw town leaders agree that ‘good fences make good neighbors’, and the board made a much-anticipated decision about what those structures entail on Lake Shore Drive at the March Town Hall meeting. Alan Serkin with the Cape Fear Council of Governments was on hand to update the ordinance terminology from its previous amendment made at the end of 2025.
Last November, the board voted to make some text amendments to the old ordinance to preserve the scenic view of the water on Lake Shore Drive and Canal Cove Road, but the new panel of commissioners decided to take another look after concerns were raised by property owner Samira Davis.
The amendment was reportedly in part to help clarify the need for construction permits of projects like privacy fences along the waterfront. Davis was issued a stop work order on a privacy fence she says she needs to protect her property near Dale’s Seafood from trespassers.
Davis said shortly after purchasing the lot in 2022, she was asked to clear an overgrown area, providing a view of the lake. She told media outlets that she then began having problems with people using her property.
Davis said the town’s previous building inspector said she did not need a permit for a privacy fence.
The text amendment was changed to say that only access ways, steps, decks, handrails, guardrails, bulkheads, and fences may be allowed if they meet certain requirements.
It stated: “The structures listed may be constructed in the required yard or setback but shall not be closer than six inches from a property line. They cannot be more than three feet tall, and the height will be measured from the natural grade at any given point along the span of the structure. The above ground portion of a fence or handrail can only be made of brick, decorative wrought iron, or treated wood with fifty-three percent transparency.”
At Tuesday night’s meeting, Commissioner Lynn Hinnant advocated for Davis’s cause and felt she should receive peace of mind about having her land adjacent to a busy commercial business.
“I do believe that as property owner you should have the right to have a buffer between you and a busy commercial property when you are residential like that,” expressed Hinnant.
Mayor Pro Tem Terry Littrell also commended Davis for cleaning up the parcel and saving the large trees located on her Lake Shore Drive tract.
The new text amendment now states that structures can be erected up to six feet from zero to fifty percent transparency, and the above ground portion of a fence or handrail can only be made of brick, decorative wrought iron, or treated wood.
